Batman: What We Become
A story which shows the future of 'my' version of Gotham, with each chapter set in one year. Chapter One The Year 2020 For eighteen years, Bruce Wayne has been fighting crime on the streets of Gotham as the Batman. Fighting for justice. Fighting for vengance. Fighting for his city. As time goes by, Bruce has gained many allies, and many foes. Today, he patrols the city, one last time. It's a quiet night in Gotham City as the Batman studies the streets. His streets. He knows them all too well. Every building has seen a crime. Every street has seen a murder. He quickly spots a thug down in a small alleyway, who's approaching a small, skinny, male teenager. With ease, he glides down, kicking the thug in the face as he lands. The teenager smartly decides to run away, as Batman prepares to deal with the criminal. Quickly, the thug grabs a gun out of his pocket, and shoots the Caped Crusader in the leg. He wasn't expecting it. Nor was he expecting being punched, once in the jaw, and again in the stomach. He's hit once more in the jaw, as if for good measure, before the thug runs away, leaving Batman for dead in the shadows. Bruce knew he was getting old. Getting rusty. Everyday he was failing his city, as more and more criminals succeeded their capers. Gotham needed better. It need a new hero. But at the same time, it needed Batman. Unlike Superman, or the Flash, Batman was a symbol of fear. Bruce decided that the best decision would be to have someone new in the cape and cowl. Someone experienced. Someone who knew the streets of Gotham like Bruce. The best choice was also the most obvious one. Dick Grayson. Chapter Two The Year 2021 Dick Grayson is Batman. Dick had retired from the Nightwing persona four years ago, instead opting to be a Police Detective in the GCPD's Major Crime Unit. He was partnered with Barbara Gordon(aka Oracle), who, although limited by a wheelchair, was still a brilliant detective. Barbara was also his wife, having married for two years. When Bruce contacted him, asking him to be Batman, Dick wasn't sure. He had a (somewhat) normal life for the first time. But Dick could see that Bruce needed him to say yes. Jason, the Red Hood, had cut ties with the Bat-Family and was now part of the Suicide Squad. Cassandra had started a new life, Tim and Stephanie had retired and settled down. And Damian, well, he was gone. So Dick said yes, as him and Bruce, now taking the position of Oracle, fought to fight the crime that the police couldn't handle. But as he continued to fight crime on the streets, his relationship with Barbara and the GCPD grew worse, as Barbara insisted that costumed vigilantes were no longer needed. The couple tried to ignore the obstacles. Until Barbara was promoted to the position of Commissioner. Among her first decisions as head of the GCPD was closing off all ties with the Batman, and having the GCPD go after him just like they went after all the other costumed criminals. She did this to convince Dick to give up the cape and cowl, but her efforts failed, leading to a divorce. Dick knew that the Batman was needed. He knew he was becoming more and more like the isolated Bruce everyday, but he saw it as a necessity. He needed to be Batman. Chapter Three The Year 2022 The funeral was quiet. While Bruce Wayne was well-known across Gotham, the funeral was small, for family only. Dick was there, obviously. He read the eulogy. Tim, Stephanie, and their daughter, Cassandra, were also there. It was the first time they had seen Dick in a long time. Barbara was there, but was quick to leave once she had her respects. Much to the surprise of everyone, Cassandra Cain was there. She had left Gotham in 2018, moving to Hong Kong. She had not been in contact with the others, but had heard of Bruce's death, similar to Jason, who had just recently finished serving his sentence. Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and Cyborg had also been present to pay their respects. The only one absent was Damian, Bruce's own son. But everybody knew why he was absent. After the divorce with Barbara and the death of Bruce, Dick was alone. Isolated. He had no more funny quips for the petty criminals. Every night was the same: Finding a criminal, stopping them, then running away from the police. Perhaps this was his fate. Chapter Four The Year 2023 TBA gonna write it later